Sitting Pretty: Navigating Tailbone Pain During Pregnancy
Tailbone pain in pregnancy
Pain around the tailbone during pregnancy can be quite discomforting and mostly refers to the coccyx bone, a smaller triangle-shaped bone situated below the sacrum. As your pregnancy progresses, your posture undergoes significant changes, leading to a forward tilt of the pelvis. This shift in alignment places additional weight and pressure on the coccyx, resulting in tailbone pain. The discomfort is often heightened when you're sitting, bending, lifting, climbing stairs, or passing stools. Understanding the causes and triggers of tailbone pain is essential to finding relief and ensuring a more comfortable pregnancy journey. Today, we'll explore what tailbone pain is, why it happens, and when during pregnancy it is most likely to occur, so you can embrace motherhood with greater ease and joy. Let's dive into the world of coccyx discomfort and find the solutions you need for a blissful pregnancy experience!
Tips-
Sit on a neck travel ‘U’ shaped pillow so your tailbone doesn’t touch the chair
Elevate your feet on a stool when passing stools
Pelvic floor exercises (both strength and being able to relax your pelvic floor are important, best assessed by a Pelvic Physio) and stretch your gluteal muscles.
General tips to avoid pelvic girdle pain
Keep active
Avoid/modify activities that cause pain
Know your limits and rest when needed
Sit down to get dressed
Keep your knee’s max hip width apart
Sleep with a pillow between your knee’s, ankles and a pillow wedged behind your lower back
Wear proper, supportive shoes
See a pelvic physio early in pregnancy for appropriate pelvic floor exercises
Don’t suffer in pain and see a pregnancy Osteopath
Avoid sitting or standing for extended periods
Hourly ‘movement breaks’ at work to keep everything mobile
Osteopathic treatment for tailbone pain in pregnancy
Osteopathic treatment is a safe, effective form of hands-on, physical therapy that can help pregnant women suffering with tailbone pain at any stage of pregnancy. Most women experience tailbone pain in the third trimester but unfortunately (especially if this is not a first pregnancy) this pain can start much earlier. Osteopathic treatment checks the alignment of the pelvis, increases the mobility of the sacrum, coccyx, pubic and sacroiliac joints and their function with the lumbar spine and hips. Treatment also addresses any tight muscles and ligaments placing strain on those joints. Sarah specialises in pelvic pain in pregnancy and also addresses the entire body, helping the body adapt to pregnancy and making women as comfortable as possible in pregnancy.